Modern War Institute

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, Jake Miraldi speaks to Cornell University associate professor and MWI adjunct scholar Dr. Sarah Kreps about her research on how countries go to war, especially democracies where the expenditure of blood and treasure impacts public support for military operations. Note: This episode was originally released in June 2018.

This episode features a conversation with retired US Air Force Gen. Kehler, former commander of US Strategic Command, which oversees America's strategic nuclear arsenal. He talks about how deterrence has changed since the Cold War, and what role he sees for nuclear weapons in the face of new global security challenges. Note: This episode was originally released in January 2019.

In some states, the National Guard has been called on to play a role in the government's efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, and there have also been calls to leverage active-duty forces to further bolster resources and capabilities. But the deployment of the military on US soil has important policy implications and involves questions of law. Dr. Ryan Burke joins the MWI Podcast to talk about the military’s potential role in the response.

Our guest on this episode of the MWI Podcast is Maj. Gen. Patrick Roberson. He is currently the commanding general of the Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. Before that, he commanded Special Operations Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve. He discusses SOF's role in the fight against ISIS and looks at the future of US SOF and what these elite units can contribute in an era of competition with peer and near-peer adversaries.

This episode of the Modern War Institute Podcast features a conversation with Lt. Gen. Eric Wesley, deputy commanding general of Army Futures Command and director of the Futures and Concepts Center. The discussion touches on a variety of topics related to the future of war, but focuses most closely on multi-domain operations—from the technologies and weapon systems that will play an important role in the concept to important questions about leadership and service culture.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a discussion with Dr. Bear Braumoeller, a political science professor at the Ohio State University and author of a book called Only the Dead: The Persistence of War in the Modern Age. In writing it, he set out to understand  if wars are happening less frequently than they used to. His data-driven examination produced two conclusions: not only is war not on the decline, but it is also not becoming less deadly.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a conversation with Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James McConville. He talks new weapons and equipment, bringing the active and reserve components together, a revolutionary new talent management system, and even a couple book recommendations! He took on that role as the seniormost officer in the United States Army in August 2019, and his tenure comes at a time during which the service is in a period of substantial transformation. As he explains, many of the systems the Army uses—especially major weapons systems—were fielded in the late 1970s and early 1980s, another period of major change in the service. That's why the Army is undertaking a massive modernization effort. But that doesn't just mean the weapons and vehicles US soldiers go to war with will change. The doctrine that determines how they fight, the organizational structures of their units, and even the talent management systems that recruit and retain the Army's men and women will be different than those of the past.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a discussion with Mark Mitchell. A career Army officer, he was among the first Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and went on to command 5th Special Forces Group. After retiring he served as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict.

CJ Chivers, award-winning New York Times journalist and best-selling author, joins for this episode to discuss his new book, The Fighters. In it, Chivers seeks to tell the story of America's post-9/11 wars not from a policy or strategy level, but from the perspective of the junior officers, noncommissioned officers, and soldiers who fought them. (Note: This episode was originally released in 2018.)

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, Maj. Jake Miraldi is joined by Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. He discusses a series of big-picture questions about the Army in an era of major change, particularly as the service focuses increasingly on great-power competition after nearly two decades of counterinsurgency operations in America's post-9/11 wars..